Mavra / Les Noces

FIRST RECORDING IN RUSSIAN |
OPERA IN ONE ACT a
YNDUCTED BY
STRAVINS :
LCBC SYMPHONY = Se 7
CHESTRA . it
SUSAN BELINCK -- ©@_.
{ARY SIMMONS st o
PATRICIA R’ DEOUT ee

STANLEY KOLK... ee

JACK LITTEN. 3
ILLIAM METCALF «

| THE ITHACA COLLEGES
| CONCERT CHOIR,
sREGG SMITH, D)INOsK@) ae ;

| THE feleneninn oo 2 1

CUSSION ENSEMBLE **

Produced by John McClure

[\AVKA
LES NOMS
IQOK STKAVINSKY

Notes by Igor Stravinsky
MAVRA

“Mavra,” a one-act opera buffa dedicated “to the memory
of Tchaikovsky, Glinka, and Pushkin,” was conceived in
the Hotel Savoy, London, in the spring of 1921. ...I had
thought of Pushkin’s “House at Kolomna” as a good sub-
ject for a skit opera, and I asked the young Boris Kochno
to compose a libretto based on it. Kochno had been a good
friend of Diaghilev’s a year before but had subsequently
fallen from that fickle favor. He had a gift for versification
and his ““Mavra’” is at least, and in the best sense, musical
(in Russian, anyway). The scheme of action with the se-
quence of numbers was worked out by the two of us
together, in London, after which I retired to Anglet to
await the libretto and compose the music. Parasha’s aria
was the first part of the score to be composed, and the last
part was the overture. I used wind instruments princi-
pally, both because the music seemed to whistle as wind
instruments whistle, and also because there was a certain
“jazz” element in it—the quartet especially—that seemed
to require a “band” sound rather than an “orchestral”
sound. When “Mavra” was finished, Diaghilev organized
a preview performance for it in the Hdtel Continental. I
accompanied the singers at the piano, but I could see that
my deliberately démodé music horrified Diaghilev and
that he was desperately worried about the performance.
In fact, the performance was a failure, but to the reasons
I have already cited for it I will add one more: Diaghilev’s
own inimical attitude to Nijinska, the metteur en scéne.
From the staging point of view, however, the real trouble
was that the singers were unable to execute Mlle Nijin-
ska’s choreographic ideas.

“Mavra” is Tchaikovskyan in period and style (style, in
the sense that it is poméshchiks, townspeople’s, or small
landowners’, music, which is the contrary of folk music),
but the dedication to Tchaikovsky was also a piece of
propaganda. I wanted to show a different Russia to my
non-Russian, and especially to my French, colleagues,
who were, I considered, saturated with the tourist-office
orientalism of the maguchia kuchka, the “powerful
clique,” as Stassov used to call the Five. I was, in fact,
protesting against the picturesque in Russian music and
against those who failed to see that the picturesque is pro-

Library cf Congress catalog card number R67-2926 applies to ML 6391/R67-2927 applies to MS 6991.

Side 1
MAVRA
Opera in One Act

Susan Belinck, Soprano
Mary Simmons, Mezzo-soprano
Patricia Rideout, Contralto
Stanley Kolk, Tenor
The CBC Symphony Orchestra
Igor Stravinsky, Conductor
Side 2
LES NOCES (“The Wedding”)

Mildred Allen, Soprano
Adrienne Albert, Mezzo-soprano
Jack Litten, Tenor
William Metcalf, Bass
The Gregg Smith Singers and
The Ithaca College Concert Choir,
Gregg Smith, Director
The Columbia Percussion Ensemble
Robert Craft, Conductor

duced by very small tricks. Tchaikovsky’s talent was the
largest in Russia, and, with the exception of Mussorgsky’s,
the truest.

LES NOCES

“Les Noces” is a suite of typical wedding episodes told
through quotations of typical talk. The latter, whether the
bride’s, the groom’s, the parents’ or the guests’, is always
ritualistic. Asa collection of clichés and quotations of
typical wedding sayings it might be compared to one of
those scenes in Ulysses in which the reader seems to be
overhearing scraps of conversation without the connect-
ing thread of discourse. But “Les Noces” might also be
compared to Ulysses in the larger sense that both works
are trying to present rather than to describe.

Individual roles do not exist in “Les Noces,” but only solo
voices that impersonate now one type of character and
now another.Thus, the soprano in the first scene is not the
bride, but merely a bride’s voice; the same voice is asso-
ciated with the goose in the last scene. Similarly, the
fiance’s words are sung by a tenor in the grooming scene,
but by a bass at the end; and the two unaccompanied bass

7 COLUMBIA

-MASTERWORKS

Stereo MS 6991
Mono ML 6391

voices in the second scene, however much their music may
suggest the actual reading of the marriage service, are not
to be identified with two priests. Even the proper names
in the text, such as Palagy or Savelyouchka, belong to no
one in particular. They were chosen for their sound, their
syllables and their Russian typicality.

“Les Noces”’ is also—perhaps even primarily—a product
of the Russian Church. Invocations to the Virgin and the
saints are heard throughout the work. Among the latter,
the names of Cosmo and Damian occur more often than
any others. They were recognized as wedding saints in
Russia, and they were popularly worshiped as deities of
a fertility cult. The binding of the bride’s tresses with red
and blue ribbons was a religio-sexual custom, of course,
and so was the tying of the tresses around her head to
signify the married state. In the period of “Les Noces”
(early 19th century), however, such customs were hardly
more than ritual for ritual’s sake. The bride weeps in the
first scene, not necessarily because of real sorrow at her
prospective loss of virginity, but because, ritualistically,
she must weep.

I began the composition of “Les Noces” in 1914 (a year
before “Renard”) in Clarens. The music was composed
in short score form by 1917, but it was not finished in
full score until three months before the premiére, which
was six years later.

When I first played “Les Noces” to Sergei Diaghilev—
in 1915, at his home in Bellerive, near Lausanne—he wept
and said it was the most beautiful and most purely Rus-
sian creation of our Ballet. I think he did love “Les Noces”
more than any other work of mine. That is why it is
dedicated to him. |

From Expositions and Developments
by Igor Stravinsky and Robert Craft

© Igor Stravinsky 1962

Other albums by Igor Stravinsky:

The Fairy’s Kiss (Le Baiser de la fée) .. . ML 6203/MS 6803*

Orpheus (Ballet in Three Scenes); Apollo (Apollon Musagéte)

(Ballet in Two Scenes) ... ML 6046/MS 6646*

Oedipus Rex... ML 5872/MS 6472*

Stravinsky Conducts Stravinsky ... ML 5772/MS 6372*.

Concerto in D Major for Violin and Orchestra (Isaac Stern, Violin)
... ML 5731/MS 6331*

*Stereo

The recording of Les Noces was made possible through the courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. John M. Bomer.

Cover photo: Horn/Griner / Manufactured by Columbia Records/'CBS, Inc,/@%-W. 52 Street, New York, N.Y. /® “Columbia,” ‘“Masterworks,”’ Marcas Reg. Printed in U.S.A.

5 taverroec ll

LDS NOS

IQOK STRAVINSKY

CHORUS
Love her and shake her like a pear tree and love her.
They are come our nobles, fill the flowing goblets,
Round the tables going fill the flowing goblets,
Going round among the guests and toasting Mary.

acs Drink thou little mother, eat thou Maritovna.

{ I do not drink, I do not eat, I listen here,
\Listen to the nobles as they eat and drink their wine.
If our Simon were here,
O you gay, noisy chatt’ring goose, where have you been?
Noisy goose, where have you been and what did you see
there?

GUESTS

In the farmhouse see how jolly a feast is held,

Nobles sat at table drinking honey and wine,

And all the while made speeches,

Merrily, oh merrily, our wedding went truly.

Nine kinds of beer, the good wife had prepared,

But the tenth is finest, the best of all.

Our Nastasia goes away, to dwell afar-off, in a distant
country.

Wisely shall she live there and in happiness let her be sub-
missive, let her be obedient.

She who knows how to be obedient, always is happy.

See our Fetis there Pamfilievitch.

The little sparrow makes first his nest, then takes his mate
to be with him.

Fetis holds Nastasia and kisses her, his bride,

Kisses her and holds in his hand her little hand.

Holds her hand and presses it upon his heart,

Holds her hand and lays it upon his heart.

Dear heart, little wife, my own dearest treasure,

My sweet, my honey: 4422+»

Dearest flow’r and treasure of mine, fairest flow’r sweetest wife,

Let us live in happiness so that all men may envy us.

_ A Chinaman? Where have you been, what did you see there?
ix I have been far away at sea, the blue sea and the lake of
+ LO blue,

(The curtain falls slowly.

Pyity—

Poa rttrae_— NOG e = = TUCO O TTS Fee ger A+
We

witarleph

GUESTS
(in turn)

Away upon the sea.

A swan neck’d maiden in the sea was bathing, washing
there her Sunday dress.

A little white swan did you see there and did you see a little
white swan.

And how should not I have seen the sea, not I have seen
the sea?

How should not I have seen the sea, seen the little swan.

Ay, beneath his wing the swan doth hide his mate.

Two swans, two white swans in the sea were swimming in
the sea, two swans.

CHORUS
Ay, and Fetis holds Nastasia right tenderly,
And Fetis holds his bride to him tenderly.

FIRST BRIDESMAID
And you Nastasia, what have you done?

THE BRIDE
I have donn’d a golden belt,
It is plaited with pearls that trail and hang down to the
ground.

‘ CHORUS
7 Now all you who are come to the feast,

‘| \ Lead the bride in, the bridegroom is waiting, lonely,

Holding a goblet of rare old wine, a rare goblet.

O you merry old rogue, Nastasia’s father, you,

He has sold his child for wine, for flowing goblets.

You fair maids, and you pastrycooks, and you platewashers,

You good-for-nothing, good-for-nothing, you chatterboxes,

All you lazy wives, you silly Reds, you foolish ones,

And all you naughty ones who are among the wedding
guests,

»2 Raise your voices.

(One of the friends chooses among the guests, a man and his
wife, and sends them to warm the bed for the bridal pair.)

CHORUS
Hear the bridegroom saying “I would sleep now,”
And the bride replying “Take me with you,”
Hear the bridegroom saying “Is the bed narrow?”
And the bride replying “Not too narrow.”
Hear the bridegroom saying “How cold are the blankets,”
And the bride replying “They shall warm them.”
‘Tis to thee Fetis sing we now this little song,
And to the little dove, the white one, to Nastasia, to our
Timofeevna too.
Dost hear us, hearest thou Fetis, dost hear us, Pamfilievitch.
We are honoring you, we sing our song to you.

CHORUS
Do not lie thus by the steep river bank,
Ay, sit down, Savelyouchka,

In a summer house, a wedding prepare now for Fetis.
thas

Bow then courteously, both to the old and the young ones.

To the very youngest maidens you must bow lower.

In the garden green there, Fetis stood and look’d

Upon the marks of his Nastasia’s feet, his own Nastasia.

A smart young dandy, a dandy went a-walking down the
street,

Down the long wide street walking.

On his head he wore a fine furry cap for winter.

My Nastasia walks very quickly and her new little coat,

It is lined with the fur of martens cosily.

FRIENDS
Black her brows and beautiful.

ONE OF THE FRIENDS + Chins
Now then, you old man, come and drink a little glass of wine,
Drink a good glass of wine.

MEN FRIENDS AND THE WOMEN
Toast the happy married couple, for our married ones need
many things,
They want to have a little house increasing their home,
A bath will they build for themselves there.
You come and have a bath, afterwards you will be heated.

| So did our married pair begin their happy days together.

Now then! Now then!
Drink to their health, drink and toast our pair.

(The bride and bridegroom embrace one another.)

CHORUS

Drink again, toast the pair, and embrace the two.

This one, this one, this one, this is good, this one even now
cost a rouble,

But if you squeeze it in your hand, squeeze it tightly it
costs double that.

I don’t care, I don’t care at all though it costs as much.

Now the river Volga overflows,

And before the gate I hear one calling,

Oh mother dear, my mother dear who calls me.

(All you silly maidens tell me who the maiden was who

ruled her true love.

(Those who are warming the bed go out. Fetis and Nastasia
are conducted to the bed and laid in it, after which they are
left alone, and the door is shut.)

Foie
(in turn)
Lovely little bed where I lay me down,
How soft the pillow where I lay my head.

(The two fathers and mothers settle themselves on a bench
before the door, everybody facing them.)

Soft the pillow where I lay my head,
Folded in the soft blankets, folded in the blankets, the
blankets warm,

English libretto by D. Millar Craig
Copyright © for all countries 1957 J. & W. Chester Ltd. London, E.C.1.

COLUMBIA

MASTERWORKS
ML 6391/MS 6991
® "COLUMBIA", “MASTERWORKS’, | MARCAS REG. PRINTED IN U.S.A.

COOK
The old witch will soon recover...
... Allis up!

PARASHA

What bad luck!

(At this point, made curious by the commotion, the
Neighbor returns.)

NEIGHBOR
Ye holy saints, restore the lady!

MOTHER
(coming to, momentarily)
Stop thief!

COOK
Goodbye!

NEIGHBOR
Help catch the thief!

PARASHA

(runs towards the window)

Vasili!

NEIGHBOR

Help catch him! Help catch the robber!
(running to the Mother’s assistance)
Gracious me! I fear she’ll not recover!

PARASHA

(leaning out of the window)
Vasili! Vasili!

(The curtain falls quickly.)

[\ngsrsee)
— > English lib retto BY Robert Craft

Copyright © by Edition Russe de Musique.

Copyright assigned 1947 to Boosey & Hawkes, Inc., New York, U.S.A.
Edition with English words Copyright © 1956 by Boosey & Hawkes, Inc.
Reprinted by permission.

LES NOES

PART I
SCENE I
THE BRIDE’S CHAMBER

THE BRIDE
Tress my tress, O thou fair tress of my hair,

O my little tress.

My mother brush’d thee, mother brush’d thee at evening,
Mother brush’d my tress.

O woe is me, O alas poor me.

BRIDESMAIDS
I comb her tresses, her fair golden tresses,
Nastasia’s bright hair, Timofeevna’s fair tresses.
I comb and plait it, with ribbon red I twine it,
I will twine her golden hair.
I comb her fair tresses, bright golden tresses,
I comb and I twine Timofeevna’s fair tresses,
I bind her tresses, 1 comb them and plait them,
With a fine comb I dress them.

THE BRIDE

Cruel, heartless, came the matchmaker,

Pitiless, pitiless cruel one, pitiless cruel one.

She tore my tresses, tore my bright golden hair, pull’d it
tearing it.

She tore my hair that she might plait it in
Two plaits, plaiting it in two.

O woe is me, O alas, poor me.

BRIDESMAIDS

I comb her tresses, her fair golden tresses,

Nastasia’s bright hair, Timofeevna’s fair tresses,

I comb and plait it, I comb it and bind up her hair,
With a ribbon of bright red, twine it with a ribbon blue.

THE BRIDE
Golden tresses bright, O my tresses fair.

BRIDESMAIDS

Weep not, O dear one, weep not,

Let no grief afflict thee, my dear one,

Weep no more, Nastasia, O weep no longer, my heart, my
Timofeevna.

Of your father think, your mother’s care,

And of the nightingale in the trees.

Your father-in-law, he will welcome you,

And mother-in-law will bid you welcome

And tenderly will love you e’en as though you were their
own dear child.

Noble Fetis Pamfilievitch, in your garden a nightingale is
singing,

In the palace garden all day he whispers cooing notes,

At nightfall hear him singing aloud his song of love.

’Tis for you, Nastasia, his singing, my dear one,

For you alone his singing, for your delight, your happiness,

He shall not disturb you sleeping in time for mass he’ll wake
you.

Come, come let us make merry from one village to another.

Come, come, dear Nastasia shall be happy,

She must be gay and joyful.

Come!

She should always be of good cheer.

"Neath the little stones a brook flows.

Underneath the stones a little brook is flowing,

Underneath the stones, making loud and happy music.

Loud and gay it sounds like beating drums,

Like beating drums, gaily loudly making music.

So Nastasia Timofeevna, so in marriage do we give thee,

So we give thee.

MS= 649 |

THE BRIDE AND THE MOTHER
Plait, plait my little tresses,
Plait my hair and bind it with ribbon red,
In plaits bind it tightly,
O plait my hair and bind it with a ribbon red.
O Mary thou Virgin, come to us and aid us, come to our aid.
Plait her hair, aid us as we wed her, Nastasia, fair.
Ah, aid us, unplait her hair, aid us as we wed her.

BRIDESMAIDS AND THE BRIDE

I twine her tresses, I plait her fair tresses,

I bind the fair hair of my Timofeevna,

I twine her tresses, again I will twine them,

With ribbons entwine it, my Timofeevna,

Once more I comb it and bind it with ribbon,

A ribbon entwin’d about her hair,

Again I will comb Nastasia’s fair tresses,

I comb them and twine them, my Timofeevna,

I twine her fair hair, with a ribbon I bind it,

A ribbon of bright red.

Blue a ribbon blue, and ribbon red, bright red, as my own
lips are red.

A ribbon blue, as blue as my eyes.

SCENE II
AT THE BRIDEGROOM’S

BRIDEGROOM’S FRIENDS

Virgin Mary, come, come and aid our wedding,

Come, Mary hear our pray’r, aid us as we comb the fair
curls of Fetis.

Virgin Mary comb the fair locks of Fetis,

While we comb and brush the curls of Pamfilievitch.

Virgin Mary come.

Wherewith shall we brush and comb and oil the fair locks
of Fetis?

Come, come to aid us, O come Virgin Mary,

O come, Mary aid us, uncurl his fair locks.

Quickly let us to the town and buy some pure, buy some
pure olive oil,

And curl his locks, his fair locks.

Come Virgin Mary, come to aid our wedding, aid us now
as we uncurl the bridegroom’s locks.

Come, O come and aid us to uncurl his fair locks.

Last night, Fetis sat, sat within his house all the while.

FATHER
Last night Pamfilievitch his fair locks sat brushing.

PARENTS
(in turn)
Now to whom, to whom will these curls belong?
Now, now, to whom, to whom will these curls belong?
Now they will belong to a rosy lipp’d maiden.
Do they now, now, belong to her, to the tall one,
To Nastasia, to Timofeevna.
Now Nastasia pour oil on them.
Do you pour oil on them;
You, Timofeevna, you pour oil on them.
Oil the fair, the curly locks of Pamfilievitch,
The fair and curly locks.
O the fair, the curly locks of Fetis, the fair and curly locks
of Pamfilievitch.
Thy mother curl’d them oft, saying then while she was
curling them,
Little son, be you white and rosy cheek’d little son,
My little child, my son.
And another one will curl your locks,
And another one will love you.
Shining locks and curly whose are they?

MAVKA

PARASHA
(sitting by a window sings as she embroiders)
Oh, my dearest, my dearest, dearest one,
You my darling, my love, my heart is with you.
Seven long days I have waited in vain for you,
Seven long days, days of sorrow I've lived through,
So I wandered, wandered in the woods,
In the woods the birds that sang to me, that

sang to me,
Only made my heart more full of loneliness for you.
Sing, sing no more your sad sweet songs to me,
Sing no more your sorrowful songs to me.
Do not increase the pain in my breaking heart.
HUSSAR
(appears at the window singing a gypsy song)
Zing-a-ling, the bells are ringing!
Ra-ta-ta, the drummers roll!

PARASHA

Oh, again I hear that voice pursuing me, seducing me.

Shall I hide, where shall I flee?

HUSSAR

Look here, all you people, come look at the gypsy!

Come and watch the whirling, swirling, lovely
gypsy girl!

Tra-la-la, come hear her singing,

Ra-ta-ta, come see her dance!

Tra-la-la, her scarf goes whirling,

Ra-ta-ta-ta-ta, the drums!

Tra-la-la, her skirts go swirling!

Come and hear her sing her song!

PARASHA

In all these songs the same old rhyme, the same
old rhyme,

So stop this nonsense and tell me how you've spent
your time

Since last we met last week on Wednesday.

HUSSAR

Why do you always question me about my
ev ry move?

I love you! Oh, Parasha, I belong to you!

Let me confess it since it’s true.

This is the first time I’m in love!

The first time that I’m in love,

The first time I’m in love!

PARASHA
Stop this silly conversation!
Do you think that I believe you?

HUSSAR
Overwhelming beauties, trembling like two doves,
your maiden charms!

PARASHA
How can I believe, how can I believe you?

HUSSAR

How much more fortunate than...

... 1, more fortunate than I,

Is the shawl that covers your shoulders!

PARASHA

How can I believe you, how can I,

How can I believe you, can I believe you?
Yes, I believe younow...

PA lave ove’: :
(repetitiously and at variance with one another)
.. . reigns,

Love courses ardently my veins.

Iam consumed by passion’s power
Burning, burning in love’s glower,

Held by passion’s golden reins.

HUSSAR
Love courses ardently my veins.

Love, love reigns and does consume by passion’s
power

Burning, burning in love’s glower,

Held by passion’s golden reins...

. .. Quickly tell me where to meet.

PARASHA

Come tomorrow sharp at eight

By the tavern, don’t be late.

(Exit Hussar. Parasha resumes her needlework and
continues her song.)

Sing, sing no more your sad sweet songs to me,

Sing, sing no more your sorrowful songs to me.

MOTHER

(as she enters)

What a pity, now our maid is dead and gone,
Vaska, the cat, is always meowing,

The gate is always banging

And the dishes are left undone.

(to Parasha)

Well, can’t you help at all?

PARASHA
How can I help you?

MOTHER

How can you help me?

Go and ask the neighbors to help find a maid
Who’s cheap and strong and ill-paid.

PARASHA
All right, I’ll go and ask.

MOTHER

Be sure you wear your winter coat!

PARASHA

But Mother, why should I wear my coat?
There won’t be a snowstorm.

Today outdoors it is so warm!

(Exit Parasha)

MOTHER

(alone)

No, no, I'll not forget our late lamented, late
lamented cook.

Dearest Phiocla, dearest cook,

What I would give for thy lost look,

Sitting by the fireside mending clothes or knitting.

Poor Phiocla did all the marketing,

House-cleaning, laundering,

Yet could stay happy and gay.

There was a time when,

Laid with newly cleaned silver,

The dining table gleamed.

Bread and salt and bowls of broth

Set nicely on a clean tablecloth,

Glasses of white wine

And fresh boiled fish in a hot dish.

Whatever will befall us with a new maid?

I fear to catch her lying, fear she’s overpaid,

Sleepy and cross in the morning,

Irritated with the guests at dinner.

The neighbors will never forgive us her mean ways

When they will visit us on holidays.

NEIGHBOR
(entering)
Good morning, good morning to you.

MOTHER

Petrovna!

It’s been so long!
Where have you been?

MOTHER, NEIGHBOR
(severally and variously)
We’ve never had such perfect weather,

You know, we’ve never had such weather.
Blessed are we,

Bless’d by Providence, bless’d by God.
We have His providential nod.

NEIGHBOR
What lovely days!

MOTHER
What lovely days!

NEIGHBOR
But winter gloomy too soon will come.

MOTHER, NEIGHBOR

(variously and repetitiously)

Too soon the winter comes, too soon the gloomy
winter comes.

MOTHER

And not one single passing day

Without misfortune in the way, etc... .

...in the way!

NEIGHBOR

Ever since...

... you buried your poor cook Phiocla,
Oh, poor Phiocla, your dearest cook!

MOTHER, NEIGHBOR

(variously)

We must be mindful, always be mindful

That Providence assigns us gladness or distress.

’Tis Providence that gives us gladness or distress, etc.

MOTHER

Oh tell me please, why should I not complain?
For streets around I searched in vain

And found no new maid, found no new maid!

NEIGHBOR

Of course, a new maid,

You must have a new maid!

Yesterday when I went to see the priest

Isaw a lovely girl who seemed modest and
hardworking,

But she would be too expensive and too spoiled.

MOTHER
And we can’t bargain with them now.

NEIGHBOR

How should we pay for modesty

When the cost of living climbs so quickly,
The cost of cotton climbs each day!

MOTHER
What nonsense!
Tell me something really helpful.
Do you see this pretty mantle?
I bought it just last year for nothing!
It’s high-grade cotton—
Why, I can see you don’t believe me! —
Trimmed with a twisted fringe and golden tassels.
And look here how in the middle

the silk-embroidered cherries
And nests of doves with peeping heads
And bordered with white pearls and beads!
(Parasha appears at the door.)
Parasha!
Why have you been gone so long?
NEIGHBOR
(catching a glimpse of a figure looming behind
Parasha)
Who’s there?
PARASHA
See, I’ve brought you a new servant!
(Enter Hussar disguised as Cook.)
MOTHER
Come here to me, my child.

Where did you find this girl?
PARASHA

I met her at the house of ailing Anna.
MOTHER

(to Cook)

Well, well, in this case, I agree.

(with Neighbor)

Remember, remember day and night
(with Neighbor and Parasha)

To work: and watch and work

Both day and night . . . and night,
Days and nights of working! °
NEIGHBOR

(aside too Mother)

Why dom’t you ask her what she wants for it?
PARASHA

(overhemring)

Oh, I dom’t think she'll take more than a bit.
MOTHER

(to Cook)

Your saliary?

COOK

Whatever you pay me, my lady.
MOTHER

Your name? Tell me your name.
COOK

‘Tis Mawra.

NEIGHBOR

She speaks fluently already.

‘PARASHA

I think my work was not all done in vain.

CONCERTED PASSAGE
(The characters sing repetitiously, severally, variously
orin unison, the gist being no more than what follows.)
COOK
I hear that your Phioclusha’s dead.
Ihear that your...
... Phioclusha had served you faithfully
for ten long years.
A faithful soul was she, so faithful—
She always did her duty!

PARASHA, MOTHER, NEIGHBOR

Phiocla iis dead, Phioclusha, our faithful cook!

Faithful, faithful for ten long years our/ your
faithful cook.

She always did her duty.

A faithfiul soul was our/ your dear cook,

For ten wears faithfully she served,

She was: for ten years faithful, so faithful,

She always did her duty!

Oh, take her good example!

Always devoted and always respectful!

COOK

I hope that everybody
Will be pleased and satisfied.

- PARASHA, MOTHER

I hope that you will please and satisfy.
(with Neighbor)

Now let’s forget our troubles and look at Mavra,
She’s a lovely girl!

NEIGHBOR

Goodbye now, goodbye...
NEIGHBOR, MOTHER

... It’s time for me to go.

(Exit Neighbor)

MOTHER

Parasha, while I’m getting ready,

Take Marva to the servant’s room.
Take her up to her room

And tell her what to do.

And watch her carefully!

(Exit Mother)

COOK

Parasha!

PARASHA
Ah! Vasili dearest Vasili my joy!

COOK

Ah! my own Parasha, we have won the fight,
Successfully gained our right!

PARASHA, COOK

(variously and in unison)

Oh, I never will forget, never forget this day,
This perfect day, this happy day!:

COOK
I will be faithful to these days...
... these days of joy.

PARASHA

I will be faithful, etc....

... When waiting by the window,
Sitting down sewing by the window,
Watching, forbidden, your dear face,
I never will forget this day.

(with Cook)

I will be faithful to this day,

I will be faithful ever to this day, etc.
Oh, happy day!

COOK

How I have waited by the window,
Discovered your dearest face!
COOK, PARASHA

(severally and variously)

And how can I forget those nights
When love appeared in dreams,
Those dreaming nights

When love lit up your eyes!

PARASHA
I have repeated your name.

COOK

I dreamed in restless sleep.

PARASHA
Why did you not answer my dream?

COOK
And I repeated, repeated the name
I dreamed in restless sleep.

PARASHA, COOK

Oh, you should have answered me at once!

But now the binding chains are broken forever,

And now begins our joy.

And now we'll live our dream,

We'll live in our new dream.

Oh, when two loving hearts in union join

Then Cupid makes a third!

Oh, when two loving hearts in union are joined by
Cupid, etc.

(They continue in the same strain.)

MOTHER’S VOICE

(offstage)

Parasha!

PARASHA

Listen .. . Mother’s there!

(Enter Mother)

(to Cook)

Go wash the dishes, will you please.
MOTHER

And hurry up!

And when you finish your work
Don’t leave the house, I pray,
I’m going out, so you must stay.
PARASHA

Mother, it’s time to go, it’s time.

COOK

I'll do my best, my very best.

(aside to Parasha)

Parasha! Far from you Ill be,

But keep your mother none the wiser.

MOTHER

I'll come back soon and that'll surprise her.

(Exeunt Parasha and Mother)

COOK

Alone! I wait alone!

Obediently I wait, my sweet Parasha,

Oh, I wait the hour when the first star lights up
the darkened sky!

Slumbering, careless sleeps the house,

The sleeping house won’t see.

At last we'll be alone, alone,

And we will be alone, alone.

Oh, then the flame of love will brighten,

Will brighten burning in our hearts,

And then, until the cooling morning light,

In dark and quiet of the night

Relive our love, our love we'll live again!

Love we try to hide in vain

But now, my love, but now, my love,

We'll hide no more,

Hide never as we did before.

Until dawn softly will we whisper

Sweet words of love, soft words of bliss,

Words sweetened by our tender kiss,

Words bearing kisses, words of riches,

Words sweetened by our tender kiss.

We'll have love’s riches again,

We'll have again our kisses.

I think it is high time I start my shaving.

No! no one, I hope, is watching.

Razor I have with me and soap.

What else?

And water—that’s good!

(He commences to shave.)

This table wobbles.

(exasperated)

To hell with this turban!

MOTHER

(returning unexpectedly)

Look at this open door!

(catching sight of supposed Cook)

A robber!

COOK

(leaping up, startled)

Lord save me! Oh, my God!

MOTHER

A thief... I’m fainting!

(She passes out.)

PARASHA

(running in, catches her mother)

Mother dear! Quick, water, quick!

COOK

Parasha! ;

PARASHA

Where’s the water? Quick the salts!

COOK

Where can I hide myself?

PARASHA

Mother dear!

Shining locks and curly whose are they?

O Pamfilievitch lovely locks curly, the locks of Fetis, well
oil’d and lovingly curl’d.

Glory to the father, glory to the mother,

Well have they brought up their wise one obedient, obedient
and wise one obedient.

A clever prudent child.

BRIDEGROOM
Let my fair curls be in order, upon my white face, in order,
And grow used to my young man’s ways, my habits, my
dandy young habits are usual there.

CHORUS

Ah in Moscow, in the city, dandy young habits are usual
there.

Virgin Mary, come, come and aid our wedding.

Aid us to brush the locks, aid us to uncurl the fair locks of
Fetis,

Aid us to uncurl the fair locks of Fetis. '

Virgin Mary come and aid us to uncurl the fair locks of
Fetis.

Holy Mother, come to us, Thyself come we pray Thee.

Come to the wedding, to the wedding.

And with Thee, all the holy Apostles.

Come to the wedding, to the wedding,

Come to the wedding, to the wedding,

And with Thee come all the angels.

Come to the wedding, to the wedding.

Now may God bless us, God bless us all and His Son,

Come to the wedding, to the wedding, to the wedding.

THE BRIDEGROOM 7 hiern>
Bless me, my father, my mother, bless me,
Your child who proudly goes against the strong wall of
stone to break it
See him, Fetis, the noble Fetis there,
See him the noble Fetis, there to win his bride, his lady.
So the candles are lighted.
We go now to the church and we kiss there the silver,
To invoke our Lady’s blessing.

A FIRST BRIDESMAID DY &,
All you that cbme to see the bride passing by,
All you that come to see the bride passing by, did stay to
see her ta’en away.
Give yourblessing, bless the prince upon his way,
The bridegroom who is gone away to meet his bride,
To wed her whose troth is plighted,
On his brow to set a golden crown.

Ades CHORUS
Ah,-on-his-brow-to-set a-golden-crown.
See there fades the flow’r too.
Falls a white feather, now the flow’r fades,
Fades the flow’r too, now fades the flow’r,
The feather falleth,
So did Fetis kneel down before his own father,
So did Fetis kneel before his mother graciously,
Asking their blessing upon the son who goes to be married,
And may the saints go with him, guarding him,
May the saints go with him too, and keep him in their care.
Lord, O bless us all from oldest to the youngest children.
Saint Damien bless us also.
Bless us Lord, bless the bride and the bridegroom, bless us

also,

The oldest, the youngest, O bless us. Ah!
Bless us, O Lord, and bless now our wedding too,
Bless us, Lord, send Thy blessing upon us all.
Bless us, O bless the father and mother, sister and brother.
Bless us, O bless the sister and brother,
Bless us, we pray Thee, bless all who are faithful,
All who fear and love him.

God protect us, aid us now, God be with us now.

Bide with us, abide with us, abide with us now.

Saint Luke, do thou be with us, bless us, Saint Luke, Saint
Luke.

Bless our marriage rites we pray thee,

Bless the couple whom thou hast chosen,

Bless the pair Saint Luke bless them whom thou, thou hast
chosen.

Grant, O grant thy blessing for always,

And to their children.

SCENE III
THE BRIDE’S DEPARTURE

CHORUS =

Brightly shines the moon on high, beside the glowing sun,
Ev’n so the princess liv’d within the palace happily beside

her aged father and her mother,
Happily beside her father and her mother dear.

BRIDE “Cro

O grant me your blessing, father, for now I go to a foreign

land.

FATHER AND MOTHER
See how bright the candles burn before the ikon, so I
have stood before it long, ~
So the princess stood awhile and quickly then away she went.

CHORUS

So they gave their blessing to their daughter fair,

So she before her father stood weeping,

And to ev’ry quarter of the world I go.

Holding the ikon, holding bread and salt too,

Holding bread and holding salt too.

Thou Saint Cosmo come with us, Cosmo and Damien,
O come with us,

Holy St. Cosmo O grant that the wedding may prosper,

Enduring from youth unto age, do thou grant that the
wedding may prosper,

Enduring from youth unto age, enduring from youth to
old age, to old age.

To the room where the two little doves are sitting,

Two little doves in a small room.

Holy Cosmo and Damien walked about the hall and came
back.

To our children even unto them.

In the little room, the happy room, the small room,

There are sitting two little doves.

There is singing, dancing, drinking too.

Tambourines sounding, clashing, cymbals are being played.

\-Long and happy union grant thou them.

May the wedding endure from their youth, from their
youth unto old age and unto their children,

Holy Cosmo and Damien walked about the hall,

They walked about the hall and then they came back.

Virgin Mary, give Thy blessing,

Virgin Mary, Mother of our blest Saviour, grant Thy
blessing on this union.

The apostles and all angels, as the hops entwine together,

So our newly married couple cling together,

So our newly married couple cling together,

As one they cling together, as the hops entwine together,

So they cling together, as the hops entwine together.

(Departure of the bride, everyone leaves the stage accom-
panying her.)
CHORUS
They two, they two...

(Enter the mothers of the groom and bride from either side
of stage.)

x

Cre Ne a ee

MOTHERS

My own dear one, child of mine, little one, my little one,

Do not leave me, my dear one, little one, child of mine,

Do not leave me my little one, come again to me, my little
one.

My own my child, dear child of mine.

Ah, do not leave me lonely, come back, come back, my
dear one, my little one,

Child you have forgot, dear one, have forgot the golden
keys hanging,

Hanging golden keys hanging there,

My own little child, dear one.

(The mothers go out.)

PART II
SCENE IV
THE WEDDING FEAST

CHORUS

Berries two there were on a branch, they fell to the ground,

One berry bows to another berry one.

Ai, louli, louli, louli! Louchenki, ai louli,

A red, a very red one, and a strawberry did ripen,

Ai louchenki, louli.

And one berry to another spoke sweetly,

Close one berry grew to another, close to it,

And one berry represents the noble bridegroom, Fetis,

And the other, Nastasia, ’tis the white one.

So gaily gaily goes he Theodor Tichnovitch,

I found a ring, found a golden ring, ring of gold set with
precious stones.

Who comes here so gaily? Palagy Stanovitch,

Who is’t comes here so gaily? Palagy Stanovitch.

I have lost, lost the golden ring with jewels set, with precious
stones.

Oh, oh, poor me, oh, poor Palagy, oh, poor Palagy no
more is gay,

No more is he gay, oh, poor Palagy.

Flying comes a grey, a little goose.

One red berry bows to another red berry,

One red berry spoke to another red berry.

Flying comes a grey, a little goose,

Flying comes a grey goose, little goose, flying comes a grey
goose.

Now its wings are beating, its tiny feet are scratching,

Making clouds of dust rise, making all the nobles.

BRIDE'S FATHER
Now behold your wife, whom God hath given you.

CHORUS
And what did we tell you, dear Nastasia?
Your wife must sew and spin, she must keep the linen and
sew and spin the flax white and sew it too.

(The bride’s mother leads her to her son-in-law.)

BRIDE'S MOTHER
To you I entrust her, my son-in-law, I entrust her, my
daughter dear.

CHORUS

Let her sew the linen, food you shall give her and clothe her,

Give her to eat and to drink,

And set her to work, you feed her and clothe her and bid
her work.

FATHER
You saw the logs. Ask again. (clap)

MS
ae 4

©
ri

(ss) : i : .

7 ee

‘ee : >
“ny, “Gg Ss

Se /7 ¥ »96 SO
“Js, A
‘ ‘nag, OTE REO —-

R
Works", march>

LU
‘@) LUMB VA

© q

i
ay é
a os > -
4876 OSTER EO. e ee

&Rw
OR,
kK
s”,[@ % manch® ©